Senate Passes Stronger National Security Supplemental Package

WASHINGTON - On Tuesday, the United States Senate passed the Ukraine, Israel, and Indo-Pacific national security supplemental funding by a vote of 79-18, providing approximately $95 billion in assistance for the three allies as they counter aggression from Russia, Iran, and China. U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) released the following statement after voting in favor of the package:

"I spoke with President Trump the day before we voted on the previous bill and urged the House to take up his plan. Today's legislation reflects his idea to transition economic aid for Ukraine to loans and includes additional sanctions and authorizations to push against our adversaries in a more aggressive way while protecting our national security interests. This package represents Peace Through Strength, but only if President Biden does not dither in its implementation. Leadership abhors a vacuum. The world is watching and needs to see America's resolve and determination."

The package includes the following provisions:

• $95 billion to counter Iranian, Hamas, Russian, and Chinese aggression against Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan, with over 75% of the funds staying in the United States to maintain, reimburse, and grow our defense stockpiles, including $3.3 billion investment in the submarine industrial base. Senator Cramer, Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Seapower Subcommittee, has advocated for boosting domestic submarine manufacturing to meet the goals of the AUKUS alliance.
• • $26.38 billion to support Israel and reimburse U.S. operations in response to recent attacks.
  • $60.84 billion to confront the conflict in Ukraine, including $9.5 billion in economic assistance for Ukraine, converted from grants to loans.
  • • Of this, $27.9 billion will go to the U.S. Department of Defense Operation and Maintenance.
    • $19.85 billion will go towards replenishing U.S. military weapons and equipment provided to Ukraine from Department of Defense inventory.
    • $3.5 billion will go towards the production capacity expansion for artillery, air defense, and long-range precision missiles.
  • $8.12 billion to counter Chinese communist aggression.

• Requires the Secretaries of State and Defense to provide to Congress a strategy regarding U.S. support for Ukraine within 45 days of enactment and updated quarterly through the end of FY 2025.
• Prohibits any funding from this bill or any prior State and Foreign Operations appropriations to go to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

Specific items in the national security supplemental package include:

The RebuildingEconomic Prosperity and Opportunity for Ukrainians (REPO) Act:

• Prohibits the release or mobilization of Russian sovereign assets blocked or immobilized by U.S. sanctions until the President certifies hostilities between Russia and Ukraine have ceased and Russia compensates Ukraine for the harms from the invasion.
• Authorizes the President to "seize, confiscate, transfer, or vest" Russian state sovereign assets "for the purpose of transferring those funds to the Ukraine Support Fund." Senator Cramer cosponsored similar legislation.

TheStop Harboring Iranian Petroleum (SHIP) Act:

• Authorizes mandatory sanctions on foreign ports, vessels, and refineries involved in the trade of sanctioned Iranian petroleum products, which produces hundreds of millions of profits for the Iranian regime.
• Includes sanctions on entities involved in ship-to-ship transfers of oil, entities which own refineries that process Iranian oil, as well as entities included on the Treasury Department's Specially Designated Nationals list. Senator Cramer is a cosponsor of the SHIP Act.

The FEND Off Fentanyl Act:

• Requires the President to impose sanctions on foreign persons engaged in trafficking of fentanyl, fentanyl precursors, or other related opioids to target the illegal fentanyl supply chain and stop chemical suppliers in China from transferring drugs to cartels.
• Declares the international trafficking of fentanyl is a national emergency and requires the President to sanction transnational criminal organizations and drug cartels' key members engaged in international fentanyl trafficking. Senator Cramer is a cosponsor of the FEND Off Fentanyl Act.

The Hamas and Other Palestinian Terrorist Groups International Financing Prevention Act:

• Imposes sanctions targeting Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the Lion's Den, and any affiliate or successor groups.
• Requires the President to periodically report to Congress a list of foreign persons who knowingly provide support to a senior member of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and other Palestinian Terrorist Organizations.

The Iran-China Energy Sanctions Act:

• Requires the President to periodically determine whether any Chinese financial institution has engaged in the purchase of petroleum or petroleum products, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles, from Iran.
• Prohibits U.S. financial institutions from opening or maintaining certain accounts with Chinese financial institutions.

The Fight and Combat Iranian Missile Exports (Fight CRIME) Act:

• Imposes visa and property-blocking sanctions on foreign persons knowingly involved with Iran in missile-related activities.

The Mahsa Amini Human Rights and Security Accountability Act:

• Instructs the President to impose visa and property-blocking sanctions on certain foreign persons affiliated with Iran.
• Imposes sanctions with respect to the Supreme Leader of Iran and the President of Iran and their respective offices for human rights abuses and support for terrorism.

The Holding Iranian Leaders Accountable Act:

• Requires the President to report on the estimated total funds held in domestic and international financial institutions by Iranian leaders such as the Supreme Leader of Iran, the President of Iran, members of the Council of Guardians, the Minster of Intelligence and Security, and others.

The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act:

• MandatesTikTok's independence from foreign influences, requiring TikTok to separate from ByteDance within 270 days to ensure the protection of American users' privacy and data while mitigating risks of espionage and propaganda dissemination.
• Empowers the U.S. Department of Justice to ensure compliance with divestiture mandates, while granting exemptions for non-threatening platforms, and strengthens legal measures to safeguard against foreign influence, particularly from the Chinese Communist Party.

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